Corn-husking machine.



No. 868,046. PATNTED CCT. 15, 1907.

C. A. C A. H. WELCH.

CORN HUSKINC MACHINE.

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No. 868,046. PATENTED OCT. 15, 190'7.` G. A. & A. H. WELCH.

CORN HUSKING MACHINE. u PLxoATIoN' rum) .mms s. 190e.

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CORN HUSKING MACHINE. APPLIoATI'oN FILED JUNE z, 190e.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.' J

GEORGE A. WELCH AND ARTHUR H: WELCH; 0E LEwIsToN, MAINE.

ooRN-HUs-KING MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 15, 1907.

Application filed June 2. 1906. Serial No. 319,937.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE A. WELCH and AR- THUR HfWELCH, residents ofLewiston, in the county of Androscoggin and State of Maine, vhaveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Husking Machines;and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in,the' art to which it appertains to make and use' the saine.`

Our invention relates to improvements in corn husking machines, anobject of the invention being to provide improved means, automaticallyset in operation by the moving ears of corn, to sever the butt end of'the corn, and improved means for husking and cleaning the corn of silk.

A further object is to provide improved mechanism for controlling theoperation of the cutter, and improved means for feeding .the ears ofcorn through the machine.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel` features of construction l and combinations and arrangements ofparts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in theclaims. Y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aside view, illustrating ourimprovements. Fig. 2 is an end view of the cutting mechanism. Fig. 3 isa side view thereof. Fig. 4 is a top view, and Figs. 5 and 6 are sideand top views of the husking brushes.

1 represents the main frame of the machine, and 2 is a central frame,supporting the cutting mechanism,v

which will be hereinafterexplained. A horizontal corn feeding tube 3 issupported on frame 1 and an endless feed chain 4, moves through the tube3 and is supported on sprocket wheels 5a and driven thereby. The chain 4is provided, at regular intervals, with'blades 6a, secured at rightangles to the chain and adapted to feed the corn forward in the tube.The corn is placed in the 'open end of the tubeonto chain 4, and is fedforward, butt end first.

At the upper end of central frame 2, a horizontal shaft 5 is mounted insuitable bearings, and a drivev pulley 6, loose on ,the shaft, is drivencontinuously from any desired source of power. The pulley, is locked toturn the shaft 5, by means of a friction clutch 7, keyed to slide onshaft 5, and provided with an annularly grooved hub 8, in which an arm9, pivoted to frame 2, is located. This arm 9 is connected by a link 10,with'a similarly pivoted arm 11, the latter` located in the cam slot 12of a roller 13 keyed to slide on shaft 5 and moved when the cam roller13 is moved, as will be hereinafter pointed out. A brake wheel 14 isalso keyed to shaft 5 and has a brake band 15 operated by abell-crank-lever 16, pivoted to frame 2 and connected by a link 17 witharm 11 and controlled by the movement of said arm 11.

One end of shaft 5 is provided with a crank arm` 18, which latter, isconnected by a link 19, with a vertically movable cutter blade 2() tosever the butt ends of the ears of corn.

A journal 21 is located at one end of frame 2, and our improved guide 22has a pivotal and sliding movement on said journal. The guide 22,comprises two members normally held together by a coiled spring 23,secured at its respective ends to the members, and each member at itsinner end, which projects across the corn passage, has a semi-circularrecess, and said recesses register to form a circular openingto receivethe butt end of the corn. The members of guide 22 are also recessed toreceive a rod 24, the latter having a large head 26n to prevent escapeof the rod from they guide, when the guide members are separated. Bothmembers lof the guide 22 have upwardly projecting arms 25 at theirpivoted end, and these arms are beveled at their upper ends, to form anentrance for a guide block 26, the latter mounted to move vertically.

An arm 27 is secured to the blade of cutter 20, so that j when thecutter descends, the arm 27, will strike the guide block 26 to force thelatter down between arms 25 and separate the guide members to releasethe ear of corn and permit it to be moved along.

The guide block 26 is connected with a depending link 29, and the latteris secured to the free end of a pivoted lever 30. This lever 30 is inthe path of a cam 31 on a shaft 32 carrying one of the sprocket wheels5, and this cam 31, at the proper time, strikes lever 30 and elevatesthe guide block, vto its normally raised position.

The rod 24, above referred to, is secured to a vertical lever 33,pivoted at its lower end, and having its upper end, projecting into thecam slot 12 of roller 13 to throw the clutch 7.

As the ear of corn is forced along, the butt end will enter the openingin guide 22 and move the guide, thus drawing rod 24 and swinging lever33, which movement of the lever 33, causes roller 13 to slide on shaftV5, and

through the medium of arms 11 and 9, causes the clutch- 7 to lock thepulley 6 to shaft 5, and turn the latter. The crank arm 18 at the end ofshaft 5, forces the cutter 2O downward to sever the butt end of the earof corn, and the arm 27 on the cutter, strikes guide block 26 and causesthe guide to open and release the ear of corn. Cam 31 will then engagelever 30 and elevate the guide block to its former position after thecutter rises. When the clutch 7 is thrown in, the brake band 15 isreleased from brake wheel 14 by the bell-crank-lever 16, and as theshaft 5 completesa single revolution, the cam slot 12 in roller 13 willmove arms 11 and 9 to release clutch 7 and also operate bell-crank-lever16 to tighten the brake band 15 on the-wheel 14 and prevent the momentumof the shaft, carrying too far. Y

After the butt ends of the ears of corn are severed, the

means actuated by said guide for throwingcorn is engaged by the blades35 on a chain conveyer 3G and carried through a tube 37. The chain 36 ismounted on sprocket wheels 38 and motion is transmitted to the shaft 39ol' one oi said sprocket wheels 38, by means oi' a chain 40, whichlatter connects sprocket wheels 4l on the shafts 32 and 39. The chain 36carries the corn between concave brushes 42, secured on vertical shafts43 and driven in opposite directions by pulleys 44 at the lower ends ofthe shafts to effectually husk the corn and remove the silk, and thecleaned corn will be ejected from the end of tube 37 and may becollected at this point and conveyed away in any approved manner.

A great many slight changes might be made in the general form andarrangement ol the parts described without departing lrom our invention,and hence. We do not restrict ourselves to the precise details set forthbut consider ourselves at liberty to make such slight changes andalterations as .fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of th'e character` described, the combination withmeans for feeding ears of cornVOf a cutter, means for operating' thesaine, a guide to receive the corn, i the cutteroperating-means intoaction to operate the cutters to sever the butt ends of the ears ofcorn, means for releasing; the corn from the guide and means forhusking; and cleaning;l the corn.

2. ln an apparatus of the character described, the com bination with aconveyer. of a cutter disposed over the line ot travel ot' the conveyer.means to be actuated by ea's ot' col'n on the conveyer t0 automaticallyoperate the cutter to sever the ends of the ears, and means in the lineof travel of the conveyer operating automatically to husk the cars ofcorn.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the co1n` blnation with acorn conveyer, a shaft, and a continuously turning,l pulley loose on theshaft, of a cutter to sever the butt ends of the corn, a crank arm onthe shaft, a link connecting;l the crank arm and cutter, a clutch on theshaft, and means operated by the moving ear of corn to throw the clutchand compel the cutter to operate to sever the butt end of the corn.

l. In an apparatus of the character described, the conibination with acorn conveyer, a shaft, and a continuously turning drive pulley loose onthe shaft, of a clntcli to lock the pulley to the shaft, a cutter, acrank arm on the shaft, a link connecting the cutter and crank arm, amovable guide having an opening,v to receive the butt end of the corn.devices operated when the guide is moved, to throw the clutch and compelthe cutter to operate, and means operated bythe cutter, to open theguide and release the corn after its butt end has been severed,

ln an apparatus of the character described, the coinbination with a cornconveyor. a shaft. and a drive pulley loose on the shaft. of a clutch 1olock the pulley 1o the shaft, a roller mounted to slide on the shaft andhavingA a cam groove, a pivoted arm in the cam groove. a pivotcd armprojecting into the grooved hub of the clutch, a link connecting, thesaid pivoted arms, a lever having.,T its end located in the cam grooveof the roller, a cutter, a crank arm on the shaft to operate the cutter,and means operated by the corn to move the lever to throw the clutch andcompel the operation of the cutter' to sever the bult ond of the ear ofcorn.

G. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with acorn conveyer and a cutter 1o sever the butt ends of the corn. of aguide to receive the corn and compel the operation of the cutter, saidguide comprising two pivoted members, arlns ou said members, and a guideblock operated by the cutter to move. the block between the arms to openthe ,'.iulde and release the corn ther(`- from.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the com bination with acorn conveyer, and a cutter to sever the butt ends of the ears of corn,of a shaft to operate the cutter, a drive pulley loose on the shaft. aclutch lo lock the pulley and shaft together. a roller n the shafthavinc; a cam groove therein and connected by movable de vices to compelthe roller and clutch to move together, a lever in the cam groove of theroller, means operated by the corn to move the lever and throw theclutch and compel the cutter to operate, and said clutch thrown back bythe cani groove in the roller, a brake whccl on the shaft, a brake bandon the wheel, a bell-cranklever operating' the brake band. and saidlever moved by the roller to release the brake when the roller moves ina direction to throw the clutch into operation, and apply the brake whenthe roller is moved back, to prevent the shaft from turning' more than acomplete revolution.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with acorn conveyor, of a guide having an opening' to receive the butt end ofthe corn, a cutter to scver the butt end of the col'n and brought intooperai ion when the guide is moved by the corn, means for opening theguide to release the corn, and devices returning" the said means tonormal position after the corn has been cut, and brushes to husk andclean the corn.

0. In an apparatus of the character described. the combination with atube, a corn conveyer therein havin.;r blades to engage and move thecorn. of a cutter to sever the butt ends of the corn, means operated b vthe movin;l corn to compel the operation of the cutter, another conveyertakinf,r the corn from the point of cutting', and concave revolving;brushes between which the last-mentioned conveyer moves the corn to huskand remove the silk from the corn.

In testimony whereof, we have signed this speciilcaiion in the presenceof two subscribing,l witnesses.

GEORGE A. WELCH. ARTHUR H. WlCLUlI. Witnesses MICHAEL J. I'IAsinvrr,FLoimNcn B. CASH.

